name	Prithviraj Kapoor
birth date	November 03, 1906
death date	May 29, 1972
birth place	Lyallpur, Punjab| yearsactive 1929–1971
spouse	Ramsarni "Rama" Mehra (1923/24–1972)
notable role	Akbar in ''Mughal-E-Azam'' (1960) }}

Prithviraj Kapoor (Hindi:पृथ्वीराज कपूर, Pṛithvīrāj Kapūr), 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was a pioneer of Indian theatre and of the Hindi film industry, who started his career as an actor, in the silent era of Hindi cinema, associated with IPTA and who founded Prithvi Theatres, a travelling theatre company based in Mumbai, in 1944.

He was also the patriarch of the Kapoor family of Hindi films, five generations of which family, beginning with him, have played active roles in Hindi film industry. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1969 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1971 for his contributions towards Indian cinema.

Early life

Prithviraj was born on November 3, 1906 at Samundri near the town of Lyallpur (currently Faisalabad, Pakistan) in Punjab, then under British colonial rule to a middle-class Hindu Punjabi Khatri family that seem to have settled some time earlier in Peshawar. Prithviraj could speak Hindi, Punjabi, and Hindko.

His father, Dewan Basheswarnath Singh Kapoor, was a sub-inspector of police. Prithviraj received his initial education at Khalsa College Lyallpur and at Lahore. His paternal grandfather, Dewan Keshavmal, was a powerful influence during his childhood. Baseshwarnath was posted at Peshawar, and so Prithviraj received his higher education at the Edwardes College, Peshawar, Pakistan and joined a one year program in Law to become a Lawyer. It was here that his talents on stage first received expression. Prithviraj's son Shammi recollects After featuring in nine silent films, Kapoor did a supporting role in India's first film talkie, ''Alam Ara'' (1931). His performance in ''Vidyapati'' (1937) was much appreciated. His best-known performance is perhaps as Alexander the Great in Sohrab Modi’s ''Sikandar'' (1941). He also joined the only English theatrical company called 'J. Grant Anderson' which remained in India for a year. Through all these years Prithviraj remained devoted to the theatre and performed on stage regularly. He developed a reputation as a fine actor on both stage and screen.

Prithvi Theatres

By 1944, Prithviraj had the wherewithal and standing to found his own theatre group, Prithvi Theatres, its premiere performance was, Kalidasa's "Shakuntala" in 1944. His eldest son, Raj Kapoor, had already struck out on his own; the films he produced had been successful and this was also an enabling factor. Prithviraj invested in and founded Prithvi Theatres, a travelling troupe which staged memorable productions across India. In over 16 years of existence, the theater staged some 2,662 shows. Prithviraj starred as the lead actor in ''every single show''.

By the late 1950s, it was clear that the era of the travelling theatre was past; that art-form had been irreversibly supplanted by the cinema. No longer was it financially feasible for a troupe of up to 80 people (as Prithvi theatre was) to travel the country for four to six months at a time with their tons of stage props and equipment, living in hotels where possible and at campsites otherwise. The financial returns, through ticket sales and the rapidly diminishing ''largesse'' of patrons from the erstwhile princely class of India, was just not adequate to support such an effort. Many of the fine actors and technicians that Prithvi Theatres nurtured had found their way to the movies. Indeed, this was the case with all of Prithviraj's own sons. As Prithviraj progressed into his 50's, he gradually ceased theatre activities and accepted occasional offers from film-makers, including his own sons. Later, under his son, Shashi Kapoor, and his wife Jennifer Kendal, it merged with the Indian Shakespeare theatre company, "Shakespeareana", and the company got a permanent home, with the inauguration of the "Prithvi Theatre" in Mumbai 5 November 1978.

Postage stamp

In 1996, the 'Golden Jubilee year' of the founding of Prithvi Theatre, India Post, issued a special two Rupee, 'commemorative' postage stamp in New Delhi, it featured the logo of Prithvi Theatre 1945-1995, and an image its founder 'Prithviraj Kapoor', without the name, as just his face seemed enough, being the legend that he had become in his lifetime and beyond in Hindi theatre. The first day cover, (stamped 15-1-95) showed an illustration of performance of travelling theatre in progress, on a stage that seem fit for a travelling theatre, as Prithvi theatre was for sixteen, till 1960.

Later years

His filmography of this period includes ''Mughal E Azam'' (1960) where he gave his most memorable performance as the Mughal emperor Akbar, ''Harishchandra Taramati'' (1963) where he played the lead role and unforgettable performances as Porus in ''Sikandar-e-Azam'' (1965) and the stentorian grandfather in ''Kal Aaj Aur Kal'' (1971) where he appeared with his son and grandson Randhir Kapoor.

Kapoor starred in the legendary religious Punjabi film ''Nanak Naam Jahaz Hai'' (1969), a film so revered in Punjab that there were lines many kilometers long to purchase tickets.

He also starred in the Punjabi films ''Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar'' (1970) and ''Mele Mittran De'' (1972).

Awards and honours

In 1954, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, and in 1969, the Padma Bhushan by the government of India. He remained Nominated Rajya Sabha Member for eight years.

After his death in 1972, he was posthumously awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 1971. He was the third recipient of that award, the highest accolade in Indian cinema.

Legacy

:

Prithviraj Kapoor's descendants have contributed richly to the Hindi film industry and he is thus reckoned the patriarch of the 'first family of Hindi films.' All three of his sons became noted actors and film-makers and two of his daughters-in-law worked in the same field. Nearly all his grandchildren, including Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor, Karan Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor, and granddaughter Sanjana Kapoor have worked in the field of films, either as actors or film-makers or both. Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor, two of the top film-stars of today, are Prithviraj's great-granddaughters, being the granddaughters of his eldest son Raj Kapoor. His great-grandson Ranbir Kapoor, son of Rishi Kapoor, the fourth generation of leading heroes, made his debut in the Hindi film Saawariya in 2007.

Personal life

As was customary in that era, Prithviraj married at a young age. At age 17, Prithviraj married the 14-year-old Ramsarni Mehra, in a match that was arranged by their families. Their eldest child, Raj Kapoor, was born in December 1924. By the time Prithviraj moved to Bombay in 1928, the couple were the parents of three children. In 1930, Ramsarni joined Prithviraj in Bombay. The following year, while she was pregnant for the fourth time, the couple suffered the tragic loss of two of their three children in the space of one week. One of their children, Devi, died of double pneumonia while the other child, Nandi, died of poisoning in a freak incident when he swallowed some rat-poison pills strewn in the garden. He is the cousin of film Producer Surinder Kapoor.

The couple went on to have four children further. All three of their surviving sons, Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor, were to become famous actors and film-makers in their own right. They also had one daughter, Urmila Sial.

After his retirement, Prithviraj settled in Bombay, in a cottage near Juhu beach. The property was later to be converted into a small, experimental theatre, the Prithvi Theatre. Both Prithviraj and Ramsarni suffered from cancer in their declining years and died within a fortnight of each other. Prithviraj died on 29 May 1972 and was followed by his wife of 63 years on 14 June the same year.

Selected filmography

''Alam Ara'' (1931)

''Vidyapati'' (1937)

''Sikandar'' (1941)

'' Ishara (1943)

''Awaara'' (1951)

''Anand Math'' (1952)

''Pardesi''

''Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960)

''Zindagi'' (1964)

Sikandar-e-Azam (1965)

''Daku Mangal Singh'' (1966)

'' Nanak Naam Jahaz Hai (1969)

''Heer Raanjha'' (1970)

''Kal Aaj Aur Kal'' (1971)

''Sakshatkara'' - (Kannada) (1971)

Further reading

''Shashi Kapoor presents the Prithviwallahs'', by Shashi Kapoor, Deepa Gahlot, Prithvi Theatre (Bombay, India). Roli Books, 2004. ISBN 8174363483.

''The Kapoors: the first family of Indian cinema'', by Madhu Jain. Penguin, Viking, 2005. ISBN 0670058378.

Notes

References

Prithviraj, My father by Shamsherraj (Shammi) Kapoor

Detailed biography of Prithviraj Kapoor

Peshawarites still remember the Kapoor family

Prithviraj Kapoor @ SPICE

Category:1906 births Category:Indian Hindus Category:1972 deaths Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian silent film actors Category:Indian stage actors Category:Indian theatre directors Category:Indian People's Theatre Association people Category:Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship Category:Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:Pashtun people Category:Indian theatre managers and producers Category:Hindi theatre

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name	Dilip Kumar
occupation	Actor, Producer, Director, Politician
birth date	December 11, 1922
birth place	Peshawar, British India (now Pakistan)
other names	Dilip Sahaab
spouse	Saira Banu (1966–present)
years active	1944–1998 (retired)
birth name	Yusuf Khan
residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
religion	Islam }}

Mohammed Yusuf Khan () () (born 11 December 1922), popularly known with nickname Dilip Kumar (), is an Indian actor and a former Member of Parliament. He lives in Pali Hill, Bandra in Mumbai, India. He is commonly known as "Tragedy King", and is described as "the ultimate method actor" by Satyajit Ray.

Starting his career in 1944, Kumar's career has spanned five decades and over 60 films. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest actors in the history of Hindi Cinema. Kumar was the first actor to receive a Filmfare Best Actor Award and holds the record for the most number of Filmfare Awards won for that category along with Shahrukh Khan; 8 wins. He starred in a wide variety of roles such as the romantic ''Andaz'' (1949), the swashbuckling ''Aan'' (1952), the dramatic ''Devdas'' (1955), the comical ''Azaad'' (1955), the historical ''Mughal-e-Azam'' (1960) and the social ''Ganga Jamuna'' (1961). In 1976, Kumar had a five-year break from film performances. In 1981, he returned with a character role in the film ''Kranti'' and continued his career playing central character roles in films such as ''Shakti'' (1982), ''Karma'' (1986) and ''Saudagar'' (1991). His last film was ''Qila'' in 1998. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994 for his contributions towards Indian cinema.

Early life

Dilip Kumar was born Muhammad Yusuf Khan at Mohallah Khudadad, in Qissa Khwani Bazaar in Peshawar, British India (now Pakistan). He was born to a Hindko-speaking Peshawari family with twelve children. His father, Lala Ghulam Sarwar, was a fruit merchant who owned large orchards in Peshawar and Deolali in Maharashtra near Nashik. The family relocated to Bombay (now Mumbai) in the 1930s and in the early 1940s Yusuf Khan moved to Pune and started a canteen business and supplying dried fruits.

In 1943, actress Devika Rani, who was also the wife of the founder of the Bombay Talkies film studio, Himanshu Rai, helped Khan's entry into the Bollywood film industry. Hindi Author Bhagwati Charan Varma gave him the screen name Dilip Kumar and gave him the leading role in his film ''Jwar Bhata'' (1944). Devika Rani and her husband Svetoslav Roerich spotted Khan in one of Pune's Aundh military canteens.

Career

His first film with Nisar Bhai and Hamed Bhai ''Jwar Bhata'' was released in 1944 which went unnoticed. His first major hit was the 1947 film ''Jugnu''. He appeared in many hits thereafter including the romantic melodramas ''Mela'' (1948), ''Andaz'' (1949), ''Deedar'' (1951), ''Daag'' (1954), ''Devdas'' (1955), ''Yahudi'' (1958) and ''Madhumati'' (1958). These films established his screen image as the "Tragedy King".

He also played lighthearted roles in films such as ''Aan'' (1952), ''Azaad'' (1955) and ''Kohinoor'' (1960). In 1960 he portrayed Prince Salim in the historical film ''Mughal-e-Azam'' which as of 2008 was the second highest grossing film in Hindi film history.

In 1961 he produced and starred in ''Ganga Jamuna'' in which he and his real-life brother Nasir Khan played the title roles. This was the only film he produced. In 1962 British director David Lean offered him the role of Sherif Ali in his 1962 film ''Lawrence of Arabia'', but Kumar declined the part. The role eventually went to Omar Sharif, the Egyptian actor. His next film ''Leader'' (1964) was below average at the box office. In 1967 Dilip Kumar played a dual role of twins separated at birth in the hit film ''Ram Aur Shyam''. His career slumped in the 1970s with films like ''Dastaan'' (1970) and ''Bairaag'' (1976) where he played triple roles failing at the box office. He took a five year hiatus from films from 1976 to 1981.

In 1981 he returned with the multi-starrer ''Kranti'' which was the biggest hit of the year. He went onto play character roles in hit films including ''Shakti'' (1982), ''Vidhaata'' (1982), ''Mashaal'' (1984) and ''Karma'' (1986). In 1991 he starred alongside veteran actor Raaj Kumar in ''Saudagar'' which was his last successful film. In 1993 he won the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1996 he was attached to make his directorial debut with a film titled ''Kalinga'' but the film was shelved. In 1998 he made his last film appearance in the unsuccessful film '' Qila'' where once again he played dual roles as an evil landowner and his twin brother investigating his death. His films ''Mughal-E-Azam'' and ''Naya Daur'' were fully colorized and re-released in 2004 and 2008 respectively.

Public life

Kumar has been active in efforts to bring the people of India and Pakistan closer together. He has been a member of the upper house of Parliament since 2000.

He was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994. In 1998 he was awarded the ''Nishan-e-Pakistan'', the highest civilian award conferred by the government of Pakistan. He is the second Indian to receive the award. At the time of the Kargil War, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray demanded Kumar return his ''Nishan-e-Pakistan'', arguing that "He must return ''Nishan-e-Imtiaz'' following that country's blatant aggression on Indian soil." Kumar refused, saying:

'''

"This award was given to me for the humane activities to which I have dedicated myself. I have worked for the poor, I have worked for many years to bridge the cultural and communal gaps between India and Pakistan. Politics and religion have created these boundaries. I have striven to bring the two people together in whatever way I could. Tell me, what does any of this have to do with the Kargil conflict?"

'''

Personal life

Kumar married actress and beauty queen Saira Banu in year 1966 when he was aged 44 and she was 22. His brothers are Nasir Khan, Ehsan Khan and Aslam Khan. Kumar's younger brother Nasir Khan was also an actor and appeared opposite him in ''Ganga Jamuna'' (1961) and ''Bairaag'' (1976).

Legacy and awards

Dilip Kumar is widely considered to be one of the greatest actors in the history of Hindi Cinema. Kumar holds the ''Guinness World Record'' for having won the maximum number of awards by an Indian actor. He has received many awards throughout his career, including 8 Filmfare Award for Best Actor awards and 19 nominations. He was honoured with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993. The Government of India honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994 - the highest award for cinematic excellence in India. In 1980, he was appointed Sheriff of Mumbai, an honorary position. In 1991, he was awarded Padma Bhushan from the Government of India. In 1997, Kumar was awarded, ''Nishan-e-Imtiaz'', Pakistan's highest civilian award.

He received in 1997 the NTR National Award. He was also awarded CNN-IBN Indian of the Year - Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.

Filmography

!Year	!Film	!Role	!Awards
1944		Jagdish
1945	''Pratima''
		Ramesh
	Sooraj
		Ram
''Nadiya Ke Paar''
	Mohan
''Ghar Ki Izzat''	Chanda
''Anokha Pyar''	Ashok
		Manoj
	Dilip
		Vijay
	Ashok
	Badal
		Motilal
	Kishore
	Shamu
	''Sangdil''	Shankar
	Shankar	Winner, Filmfare Best Actor Award
''Aan''	Jai Tilak
	''Shikast''	Dr. Ram Singh
	Noshu
1954		Amarnath
	''Udan Khatola''
	Devdas	Winner, Filmfare Best Actor Award
		Winner, Filmfare Best Actor Award
	''Naya Daur''	Shankar	Winner, Filmfare Best Actor Award
	''Yahudi''	Prince Marcus
''Madhumati''	Anand/Deven	Nomination, Filmfare Best Actor Award
1959	''Paigham''	Ratan Lal	Nomination, Filmfare Best Actor Award
			Winner, Filmfare Best Actor Award
''Mughal-E-Azam''	Prince Salim
1961	''Gunga Jumna''	Gunga	Nomination, Filmfare Best Actor Award
1964		Vijay Khanna	Winner, Filmfare Best Actor Award
1966	''Dil Diya Dard Liya''	Shankar/Rajasaheb	Nomination, Filmfare Best Actor Award
1967	''Ram Aur Shyam''	Ram/ Shyam	Winner, Filmfare Best Actor Award
	''Sunghursh''		Nomination, Filmfare Best Actor Award
''Sadhu aur Shatan''
	Rajesh/ Raja Saheb	Nomination, Filmfare Best Actor Award
	''Sagina Mahato''
	Gopi	Nomination, Filmfare Best Actor Award
		Anil/ Sunil
''Anokha Milan''
			Nomination, Filmfare Best Actor Award
''Phir Kab Milogi''
1976	''Bairaag''		Nomination, Filmfare Best Actor Award
1981	''Kranti''	Sanga/Kranti
	''Vidhaata''	Shamsher Singh
	Ashvini Kumar	Winner, Filmfare Best Actor Award
1983	''Mazdoor''	Dinanath Saxena
	''Duniya''	Mohan Kumar
''Mashaal''	Vinod Kumar	Nomination, Filmfare Best Actor Award
	''Dharam Adhikari''
	Vishwanath Pratap Singh, alias Rana
1989	''Kanoon Apna Apna''	Collector Jagat Pratap Singh
	''Izzatdaar''	Brahma Dutt
''Aag Ka Dariya''
1991		Thakur Veer Singh	Nomination, Filmfare Best Actor Award
1998		Jaganath/Amarnath Singh

References

External links

Excerpts from Dilip Kumar’s biography

Category:1922 births Category:Living people Category:Indian actors Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian film directors Category:Indian film producers Category:Nishan-e-Imtiaz Category:Indian Muslims Category:Hindkowan people Category:Pashtun people Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Hindi-language film directors Category:Hindi film actors Category:Sheriffs of Mumbai Category:Members of the Rajya Sabha Category:Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Category:Indian actor-politicians Category:People from Mumbai

ar:دليب كومار de:Dilip Kumar fa:دیلیپ کومار fr:Dilip Kumar hi:दिलीप कुमार it:Dilip Kumar ml:ദിലീപ് കുമാർ mr:दिलीप कुमार pnb:دلیپ کمار sa:दिलीप कुमार fi:Dilip Kumar sv:Dilip Kumar ta:திலிப் குமார் te:దిలీప్ కుమార్ ur:دلیپ کمار

name	Geeta Bali
birth date	1930
birth place	India
yearsactive	1952 - 1964
death date
nationalfilmawards	}}

Geeta Bali (1930 – 21 January 1965) was a popular film actress from Bollywood.

Early life

Bali was born in a Mohyal family in pre-partition Punjab as Harkirtan Kaur, a Sikh. Her family moved to Bombay and were living in near poverty when she started to get breaks in films.

Career

Bali became a star in the 1950s. She had also worked earlier with her future brother-in-law Raj Kapoor in Bawre Nain and with her future father-in-law Prithviraj Kapoor in Anand Math. Unlike other actresses who gave up films after marrying into the Kapoor family, Bali kept acting until her death.

Her secretary was Surinder Kapoor, father of producer Boney Kapoor, actor Anil Kapoor and Sanjay Kapoor.

Personal life

Geeta Bali is the aunt of Yogeeta Bali. In 1955 she married Shammi Kapoor who was 1 year younger than she was and not yet a star. They had two children, a son and a daughter.

She died on 21 January 1965 stricken by smallpox.

Filmography

Her films include ''Bawre Nain'' with future brother-in-law Raj Kapoor, Baazi (1951 film) with Dev Anand, Ghayal with Sheikh Mukhtar, Baaz with Guru Dutt, Jaal, Albela with Bhagwan Dada. She received a Filmfare Nomination as Best Actress for Vachan (1955) and another nomination as Best Supporting Actress for Kavi (1955).

References

External links

http://www.junglee.org.in/sk.html

http://www.rediff.com/movies/2002/apr/09dinesh.htm

Category:1930 births Category:1965 deaths Category:Indian Sikhs Category:Indian actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:Punjabi people Category:Deaths from smallpox Category:Infectious disease deaths in India

dv:ގީތާ ބާލީ es:Geeta Bali it:Geeta Bali ml:ഗീത ബാലി

Anita Guha (1932 – 20 June 2007) was an Indian actress who usually played mythological characters in films. She became known for playing the title role in ''Jai Santoshi Maa'' (1975). Previously, she had played Sita in other mythological films "Sampoorna Ramayana" (1961), "Shree Ram Bharat Milap" (1965) and, "Tulsi Vivah" (1971).

Career

She came to Mumbai in the 1950s as a beauty pageant contestant, when she was 15 years old. She became an actress there and made her film debut in "Tangewali" (1955). She moved onto hit films like "Sharada" (1957), and "Goonj Uthi Shehnai" (1959), for which she earned her only Filmfare nomination of her career as Best Supporting Actress.

But it was her title role in Jai Santoshi Maa (1975) that brought her the most fame. She had never even heard of goddess Santoshi until she was offered the role, as this was a little-known goddess. It was only a guest appearance, and her scenes were shot 10–12 days. She fasted during the shooting. The low-budget pic was a surprise hit, and broke box office records while becoming a cultural phenomenon. The goddess Santoshi now became a famous goddess, and women all over India worshipped her. People treated the movie theatres showing Jai Santoshi Maa as a temple, bringing offerings of food, leaving slippers at the door. Guha claimed that people came to her asking her to bless them, as they perceived her to be a real goddess. Oddly, she never became a devotee of the goddess herself, claiming that she was a devotee of Kali Maa.

Other mythological films she acted in include "Dekh Kabira Roya" (1957), "Kavi Kalidas (1959), "Jai Dwarkadesh" (1977) and "Krishna Krishna" (1986). She wasn't happy that she became typecast as a mythological actress, because acting offers eventually stopped coming her way. Her earlier credits include period films such as "Sangeet samrat Tansen" (1962), "Kan Kan Mein Bhagwan" (1963), "Veer Bhimsen" (1964). She played Rajesh Khanna's adoptive mother in the huge hit Aradhana.

Personal life

She was married to actor Manik Dutt; they had no children. After her husband's death, she lived alone in Mumbai where she died of cardiac failure on 20 June 2007.

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" |- !Year !!Film !!Character/Role !!Notes |- |1978 |''Tumhare Liye'' |Sheela devi |- |1975 |''Jai Santoshi Maa |Godess Santoshi |Popular & Memorable role |- |}

Awards and nominations

1960: Filmfare Award

* Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award: ''Goonj Uthi Shahnai'': ''Nominated''

References

External links

Category:Indian film actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:People from Mumbai Category:1932 births Category:2007 deaths Category:Deaths from heart failure Category:Date of birth missing Category:Place of birth missing

name	Pradeep Kumar
birthname	Pradeep Kumar
birth date	January 04, 1925
death date	October 27, 2001
death place	Calcutta, India
occupation	Actor

Pradeep Kumar (Pradeep Batabyal ())(4 January 1925 - 27 October 2001) was an Indian actor in Bengali and Hindi films.

Career

When Kumar was 17 years old, he decided to take up acting. His started his film career in Bengali films. His notable roles in Bengali films were in ''Alaknanda''(1947) directed by renowned filmmaker Debaki Bose and in '''42'' (1951).

Kumar then shifted to Bombay and Filmistan studios, and had an important role in the film ''Anand Math'' (1952). He played the lead role with Bina Rai in Anarkali (1953) and with Vyjayanthimala in Nagin (1954). Both films were very popular and had songs that added to the movies success. He had a spate of releases in the second half of the 1950s. He did not enjoy as much success in the 1960s, though ''Ghoonghat'' (1960) , ''Taj Mahal'' (1963) and ''Aarti'' were successful. He worked with Meena Kumari in 7 films i.e. Adil-E-Jahangir, Bandhan, Chitralekha, Bahu Begum, Bheegi Raat, Aarti & Noor Jahan & with Mala Sinha in 8 films i.e. Naya Zamana, Hamlet, Baadshah, Detective, Fashion, Ek Shola, Duniya Na Maane, and Mitti Mein Sona.

He did not get to act in lead roles with the newer heroines of the 1960s like Sadhana, Saira Banu, Babita or Sharmila Tagore, though he did work with Asha Parekh in Ghoonghat and Meri Surat Teri Aankhen & with Waheeda Rehman in Raakhi(1963). In 1969, he moved to character roles with ''Sambandh'' and Mehboob Ki Mehndi, but did not have many visible roles till Jaanwar and Razia Sultan in 1983.

He won the Kalakar Award-Lifetime Achievement Award (1999).

Pradeep Kumar died in Calcutta on 27 October 2001, at the age of 76. He is survived by his daughters Reena, Meena and Beena who plays character roles in movies and TV serials including Uttran, son Debiprasad and granddaughters Tanisha, Riya and Hrishita.

Filmography

Bengali

Hindi

{|class="wikitable" |- !Year !!Film !!Character/Role !!Notes |- |1977 |''Kalabaaz'' |G. D. Sapru, Circus owner |- |}

Aakhri Insaf (1979)

Aarti (1961)

Adalat (1958)

Adl-E-Jehangir (1954)

Afsana (1966)

Albeli (1955)

Amar Shakati (1978)

Anand Math (1952)

Anarkali (1953)

Anjaan (1956)

Apsara (1955)

Arab Ka Saudagar (1956)

Badshah (1955)

Bahu Begum (1966)

Batwara (1961)

Bheegee Raat (1965)

Chaitali (1975)

Chambal Ki Kassam (1979)

Chitralekha (1964)

Detective (1958)

Do Anjaane (1976)

Do Dilon Ki Dastan (1967)

Duniya Na Mane (1959)

Dur Naheen Manzil (1972)

Durgesh Nandini (1956)

Ek Jhalak (1956)

Fashion (1957)

Gateway Of India (1957)

Ghunghat (1960)

Harishchandra Taramati (1970)

Hawas (1974)

Heer (1956)

Hill Station (1957)

Jab Se Tumhen Dekha Hai (1963)

Jagte Raho (1956)

Jalte Badan (1973)

Kagaz Ki Nao (1974)

Kalabaaz (1977)

Kranti (1981)

Lok Parlok (1979)

Mahabharat (1965)

Mangetar (1972)

Mehboob Ki Mehndi (1970)

Mere Armaan Mere Sapne (1963)

Meri Surat Teri Ankhen (1963)

Miss India (1956)

Mitti Me Sona (1960)

Modern Girl (1960)

Nagin (1955)

Naya Sansar (1959)

Noor Jehan (1967)

Palaniyappa Kalluri (2007)

Parmatma (1976)

Passport (1961)

Patrani (1956)

Police (1957)

Pyar Ki Rahen (1959)

Raat Aur Din (1966)

Raj Hath (1956)

Rakhi (1962)

Saheli (1965)

Sambandh (1968)

Samjhauta (1972)

Sanjog (1961)

Shirin Farhad (1956)

Subah Ka Tara (1954)

Taj (1955)

Taj Mahal (1963)

Ustadon Ke Ustad (1963)

Wahan Ke Log (1967)

Zindagi Aur Maut (1999)

Zindagi Ya Toofan (1957)

References

External links

An article from rediff.com

Category:1925 births Category:Indian actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:Bengali actors Category:2001 deaths